Grab A Coffee And Enjoy Your Weekly Light Stalking Update

We are sure that you already know that we are extremely passionate about photography, and sharing it with the world is just amazing. We have learned from others, and we enjoy sharing everything we know with the newcomers. So here we bring you the very best highlights of our community's activity from the past week.

You'll also find some of the most interesting shots from Tersha's weekend photography challenge Mothers and Flowers as well as some interesting discussions from our photography forum. Also, we have for you a selection of images from the Tank!

So let's get started…

Photo Of The Week – April 8, 2019

Stairway to the Stars – Photo by Bucweeet

We see some seriously wonderful photos on display from some brilliant photographers. Here our friend Kent Dufault has chosen an intriguing photo of the week and here is what he had to say about it

This week the POTW goes to Paul McKeen (Bucweeet) for his very unusual take, on a fairly commonly photographed subject, titled, “Stairway to the Stars”.

These words have literally come out of my mouth, “If I see another spiral staircase photo, I'm going to ____________. (Fill in the blank.)

So, for Paul's photograph to stop me, and to cause me to spend as much time as I did examining it in all of its glorious detail… says a lot.

What really works here is Paul's use of color, light, and shadow.

The ‘curl' of a spiral staircase is always going to provide an interesting shape and a strong leading line. Where it goes from there (make it different and interesting) is really the photographer's challenge.

I think Paul's choice of title also adds to the mystery of experiencing this image.

Are we looking at a night sky? Are we looking up or down?

I think it's a great shot, and it has very strong artistic merit.

Congratulations to Bucweeet!

Mothers and Flowers – the theme of Challenge 428!

There were some wonderful and moving shots for our 428th weekend photography challenge Mothers and Flowers – here are a few that caught our eye and here is what Federico had to say about them.

Photo by Michael

The gentle gestures of this photograph make it more than just a regular domestic shot. The light gives the moment a distinguishable character, and only a talented photographer could have taken advantage of that.

Photo by Billyspad

Even the most common flowers can look incredible with proper lighting skills, and here is a pleasant example of this statement.

Photo by Click

Even death and decay can be picturesque. A lovely and different take from Click

Photo by Beth

Talented photographers don't need fancy camera equipment to capture meaningful moments. This is by far one of the most interesting shots I've seen here at Light Stalking.

Here Are Some Discussions You May Have Missed

Graham shared a picture of a gallery he attended at the Mortlock Library. Some of the photographs were shot during difficult circumstances making them extremely moving. Here is a photograph of the library as well, what a beautiful place to be, authorities would have to drag me out of that place.

Jim started a nice lens debate here, and Jasenka suggested something that seems pretty wise to me. Everything that could make the murky waters of lens acquisition more clear is always appreciated.

Preston has been experimenting with selective black and white conversions, what do you think about them? Here is one and here is the other one. Personally speaking, I like the second one the most, but that's just a matter of taste.

Rob Eyers had a great time shooting paragliders the other day, here and here are some photos, and it could be great to know if he actually flew one of them. For me, this one is the best of all three because it was taken at a closer range than the others and the composition is fantastic!

Last but not least, a very oddly yet satisfying looking contradiction shared by Tom.

We'd Love To Hear Your Thoughts

We love photography, and we do know that the hardest thing about this beautiful discipline is to actually escalate and improve, especially after many years have passed by. But there is great news, we've found that after practicing, constructive criticism is the best possible way to become a better photographer.

People are able to nurture their own photographic knowledge when they give out critique that goes way beyond a simple emoji based reactions or “nice shot” comments. Not to mention the “what camera are you using?” ones. By receiving critique we can find out flaws that weren't easy to spot for us before hearing an objective opinion upon our work.

So, we have built a special place exclusively intended to work around that idea. That place has a funny name, it is called The Shark Tank, but don't worry about the name, we were just fooling around. Here are some of the most interesting shot shared during last week on the Tank:

The Shark Tank is a great place to learn and to discuss, so please read the instructions in order the get a better experience. Share your comments, opinions and doubts on any or all of the images above. We also will be delighted to see some of your own images. Don't be shy, critique is given to photographs and not photographers, so don't be afraid of sharing.

We and many other members will be more than pleased to help you out; after all, we all are in love with photography. Don't forget to participate in the newest challenge published by Tersha on Patterns. Please remember to join our friendly photography community if you haven't done so already.

Today We Will Leave You With…Tiny Mushrooms

Dick Mason couldn't resist capturing some tiny mushrooms that actually appear to be huge thanks to the wonders of macro photography. Take a look at those patterns!